Birmingham invests £1bn to get on track for HS2

Almost £1bn of investment is being committed to redevelop a part of Birmingham that will be transformed by the arrival of HS2 in the city.

The Curzon Investment Plan is an ambitious 30-year strategy to unlock and regenerate the 141 hectares of land around the planned HS2 Curzon Street Station, led by the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP (GBSLEP) and Birmingham City Council.

Creating 36,000 jobs, 4,000 new homes, unlocking 600,000 sqm of commercial floor space and connecting the east side of Birmingham to the rest of the city; the investment is the first major financial commitment by any area in the country to use HS2’s arrival as a catalyst for regeneration. It also has the potential to add £1.4bn to the local economy.

In total £907m is being allocated to a variety of projects, and is made up of £586.8m from the GBSLEP, which draws funds from business rates within the Enterprise Zone and £137.2m from the newly formed devolved government, West Midlands Combined Authority.

A further £183.3m towards the cost of delivering Metro extension projects, connecting the east side of the city to central Birmingham and out to Birmingham International Airport and Solihull, where another HS2 station, an interchange, is planned.

Theresa May, Prime Minister said: "I’m delighted that Greater Birmingham is making this investment in the future, working to maximise the potential of HS2 by investing in jobs and housing – and encouraging more business investment. It was in Birmingham where I outlined my plan to build an economy that works for all, with a proper industrial strategy that delivers prosperity, job creation and higher wages across the country, not just in London.

"That’s what the Curzon Investment Plan aims to do in Greater Birmingham, and my Government is right behind them."

Steve Hollis, Deputy Chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP (GBSLEP), said: "The Curzon Investment Plan is the first major commitment by a local area to maximise the impact of HS2. It outlines how we will use HS2 as a trigger to transform an area of untapped potential in Birmingham’s city core and create thousands of new jobs, homes and places for businesses to thrive.

"This demonstrates clearly what we can achieve in this region by being given the right tools by central government, to unlock our own future economic success."

"Our commitment to invest is a bold statement of intent for how we will utilise HS2 as a catalyst for growth at every step. By setting out our plans and investing now, we will begin to realise the economic benefits of HS2 far sooner."